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My blog used to cover a lot more topics. Now I have a other places to do that and this has become more of a personal space. For what kind of music I’d recommend or local news or events, check out the other sites I curate and contribute to:

After recently witnessing two of my musical friends falling out, and the accompanying loss of music and momentum, I have taken a little more solace in the solitude of visual art. I have never been musical, and always somewhat regretted it.

Music has a power to profoundly move people, bring them together, turn them into single collectively conscious bodies and is just overall a soothing essential part of life. Visual art on the other hand is a lot more contemplative. I mean there is the same gut reaction of “I like this” or “that’s horrid” as there is with music but the abstractness of the reasoning is often much more… abstract.

But the other edge of the sword is that music requires people. To be enjoyed to its best at least. It takes collaboration to make it, put it out. Listening to music and surely dancing are always better with more people and while thats fun when it works, its frustrating when it doesn’t even to someone on the outside.

Visual art on the other hand lends itself, at least on the artist angle to selfish creation and utter individualism. There are many examples where this is not the case, from the synergy between pencilers, inkers, colorists and letters in comics or artist and master printers in fine art printmaking to the collaborative process of a big mural or huge media campaign. But most of us visual artists here in the modern western world enjoy a certain amount of independence and indulgence with our own work.

Musicians, at least rappers, or people who need a beat or a band or vocalist or songwriter or an accompanying instrument are reliant on whoever else they make the music with. And while that is tremendously inviting when you find yourself alone in a room staring down a blank page, it can make you find refuge in that independence when you realize how much work it can be for others to see their work come to life for the world to see.